“What do you want her to f*cking do, cut her f*cking veins?”: Cardi B defends Tyla against online hate and backlash

Cardi B stood up to defend South African singer Tyla after she faced a surge of online criticism. The "Push 2 Start" artist has been under fire, and Cardi brought it up during a late-night X Spaces session she hosted in Los Angeles. She used Tyla’s situation to highlight the harsh negativity thrown at public figures. Cardi began by reflecting on her own encounters with negative online commentary, describing some of the responses she receives as “straight up disrespectful.” Then she brought up Tyla, emphasizing how the singer responds to the backlash. Cardi questioned why Tyla was being targeted and said she was worried about how severe the criticism was.

“Look at Tyla,” Cardi B said. “People been dragging the shit out of Tyla and it's, like, the girl don't even fucking address or talk about nothing.”

“I'm starting to feel that people just don't like celebrities," Cardi continued. "It's like the only way that that people like celebrities [is] if you don't fucking say nothing at all."

According to Cardi B, much of the criticism appears persistent, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok.

“[What] I do know is every single time I scroll down on my TikTok, there's a video of her and people are talking sh*t and it's like, Goddamn, what do you want her to f*cking do, cut her f*cking veins? Like, enough. Enough,” Cardi B said.

Tyla addresses resurfaced TikTok and clarifies cultural identity amid ongoing debate

The controversy surrounding Tyla intensified earlier this year when a 2020 TikTok resurfaced, in which she described herself as a “colored South African.” While this term is part of a formal classification system in South Africa, it carries different meanings that many find offensive in other places.

In June 2024, Tyla appeared on The Breakfast Club, where Charlamagne Tha God asked her about the discussions surrounding her identity. She chose not to talk about it during the interview, which sparked more conversation online.

Not long after the interview aired, Tyla put out a statement to explain her stance. She recognized that the term "Coloured" could mean different things across cultures and said she didn’t expect people outside South Africa to call her that if they felt uncomfortable with it. She wrapped up her statement by saying she sees herself as both Coloured in South Africa and as a Black woman.

Shortly after the interview aired, Tyla released a statement clarifying her position. She acknowledged the differing cultural interpretations of the term and stated she did not expect to be identified as “Coloured” outside South Africa by those uncomfortable using it.

“I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of [South Africa] by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside [of South Africa]. But to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a Black woman,” Tyla clarified.

In an interview with Variety published earlier this month, Tyla reflected on the experience, describing it as confusing and challenging. She explained that the scrutiny over her identity made her consider how to respond while staying true to herself. Tyla said she understood differing perspectives but felt the need to stand firm in her self-definition.